Since 1919, Lakeside has been more than just a place for education; it’s a community rich with traditions that connect students, faculty, and alumni together through the years. These traditions, whatever form they may come in, help create the Lion Pride we all feel at Lakeside.
May Day is one of the most obvious traditions deeply rooted in Lakeside culture. Given full freedom on the sunny afternoon, students enjoy a Stud Gov-planned carnival including everything from singing competitions to bouncy houses to spikeball. To me, May Day signifies the very beginning of summer or at least the end of Seattle’s somewhat depressing winter. It is also an opportunity for middle school and upper school students to interact with and get to know each other.
Although a more select tradition, the senior prank never fails to impress and entertain the Lakeside community. Last year’s prank where the seniors taught all our classes for a day will not soon be forgotten, by both teachers and students alike. However, the student prank that certainly holds the most legacy is the one from the class of 1970, the year before the school became co-ed. Legend has it that the gravestone that was outside of Pigott for over 50 years was the senior prank that year, where the boys of that class used the gravestone to symbolize the “death of Lakeside” as they knew it (which ultimately spawned the prank’s controversy and allegations of sexism). Each year the senior prank is completely different from the last, creating a unique new chapter to the time-honored tradition each year.
Although Lakeside has many monumental traditions, what some may not realize is how many smaller traditions are embedded in our school year. Take assembly, for example. The only time each week we are all together as a school, listening to our leaders and building community. Or our senior vs. faculty/staff sports games that happen throughout the year, where we see teachers step out of their comfort zones and watch the battle of the adults and almost-adults. Another community-building tradition is our spirit: both larger community spirit weeks and smaller spirit days for our different sports teams throughout the year.
All of these traditions, both big and small, help bring Lakeside’s community to life.
Recently, my history teacher, Ms. Rawles, said just that in a way that altered my perspective. She asked my class a simple question: Forty years from now, when you are in a completely different part of your life and education is most likely behind you, what will your memories be of Lakeside? Immediately, I thought of our community. The special traditions we share, the crazy (and maybe embarrassing) memories we will one day look back at and laugh about, and the friends and relationships we build along the way. This sentiment aligns with our Stud Gov president Rohan D. ’25’s convocation message that Lakeside’s traditions and out-of-the ordinary experiences will become our most memorable moments, not the hours of homework or many tests we can so easily get caught up in. These experiences and traditions are what make our high school life unique, and, more likely than not, are what we will remember decades from now.
